Balancer for ladders



June 4,1940. H, SCHWARZ -r AL 2,203,445

` BALANCER FDR LADDERS Filed lay 29. 1959 INVENTORS mmzzmf@ ATTORNEYS Patented June 4, 1940 n UNITED Ns'la'res PTENT OFFICE Y BALANCER` FOR LADDERS Henry Schwarz and Cllliharles A. Eilers, Montague,

Application May 29, 1939, serial No. 276,434 1 claim. (c1. 22S-cn type having a wall rest to permit the user Working behind a ladder, the wall rest being adapted to space the top of the ladder about 10" from a Wall, the weight of the balancer rmly locking the extension attachment against accidental collapse.

A further object is to provide a ladder having a balancer and wall rest adapted to be folded back along the ladder when not in use so as to occupy minimum space.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will be formed of a few strong, simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, vit being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claim without `departing from the spirit or sacricing `any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,

Figure l is a perspective view of a ladder equipped with a balancer attachment and a wall rest in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view, drawn to enlarged scale, of the upper portion of the ladder shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail front elevation, drawn to enlarged scale, showing the pivotal connections of the balancer attachment and wall rest with the ladder.

Figure 4 is a detail cross sectional view taken on the lines 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the wall rest.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts in the various views, a conventional ladder is shown comprising side rails III and rungs II. In carrying out the invention a balancer attachment `is pivotally secured to the top of the ladder to extend upwardly there beyond. The attachment comprises an inverted U-shaped frame I2 having a pair of rungs I3. The lower lendsof the sides of the frame are offset inwardly as shown at I4 in Figure 3 and are pivotally attached to the rails of the ladder above the uppermost rung II, through the medium `of pivot bolts I5. A spacer I6 is disposed on each pivot between the side of the inverted Urshaped frame and the inner face of the adjacent rail of the ladder. When not in use the balancer attachment may be rocked` on its pivot bolts I5 and folded back along the ladder as indicated by dotted lines in Figures 2 and 3.

`between each side member I8 of the wall rail and the inner side of the adjacent rail I0 of the ladder, as best shown in Figure 4.`

The tip ends of the side members 2| are provided on their upper surfaces with respective grooves 24 to receive the lowermost rung I3 of the inverted U-shaped frame I2, as best shown in Figure 2, and lock the inverted U-shaped frame against collapse, since the Weight of the wall rest is greater between the pivot bolts 22 andthe cross bar I9 than between the pivot bolts and the tip ends of the side members I8. When not in use the wall rest is rocked on its pivot bolts 22 and folded back along the side rails of the ladder as shown by dotted lines in Figure 2 "In operation, when the inverted U-shaped frame is extended upwardly beyond the ladder and the wall rest tip locked to the frame, the ladder may be set up against the wall and in this position the wall rest spaces the top of the ladder about 10 more or less from the wall 25. The inverted U-shaped frame I2 projects upwardly beyond the ladder and the rungs or rails without may be grasped by the operator to balance himself on the top rung II'of the ladder while putting up eave troughs and doing other work.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

The combination with a ladder of an inverted U-shaped frame having transverse rungs, pivotal connections between the ends ofthe frame and rungs ofthe inverted U-shaped frame, the weight the top of the ladder through the medium of of the Wall rest frame on the opposite side of the which the frame may be extended above the ladpivots thereof from the notches holding the Wall der, a frame forming a wall rest pivoted to the rest frame in position to lock the inverted U- upper end of the ladder, said frame having side shaped frame in operative position. members extended beyond its pivots and pro- HENRY SCHWARZ. vided with notches adapted to receive one of the CHARLES A. EILERS. f 

